BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON -- Jonathan Logan wiped away the sweat beading on his brow, grabbed a broom handle with a nail sticking from the end and jabbed a crumpled beer can that someone had throw along 13th Street.
That's one way to clean up a neighborhood.
Another is getting young men involved and trying to instill in them a sense pride and community in the place they call home.
Mr. Logan and about a dozen African-American men were tidying up both ways Saturday morning under an oppressive sun that was sapping their energy, but not their spirit.
"Warm today, isn't it?" Mr. Logan asked aloud to no one in particular as he and Rick Mullins filled a shopping cart with empty bottles and pieces of metal, paper and other trash that had littered the streets on Covington's East Side.
Both men are part of Catalyst, a grass-roots community group that is trying to improve the lives of African Americans in the community. Saturday's event was the first for the group, which has been around for awhile, but is getting a new boost under Mr. Logan's leadership. "It's all about community, about giving something back, about teaching people and showing people that with the little things, like picking up the trash on the streets, you can start to make a difference and change things," Mr. Logan said as he slowly pushed the cart toward Greenup Street.
"There are good people in this neighborhood, many more good than bad. They want to do positive things, and we're going to try and help and get people involved with projects like this," he said. Mr. Mullins, 35, who works for DHL Airways, grew up on the East Side. His sister is Covington City Commissioner Pamela Mullins. "I came back today to help because I wanted to give something back and pitch in a little bit for my old neighborhood," he said. "You don't ever want to forget where you came from."
Some men, like Mr. Logan and Mr. Mullins, filled bags and boxes with trash. Others used large push brooms to sweep up on sidewalks and along curbs.
In addition to sprucing up, the effort also sheds some positive light on a community recently in the news for shootings, drug arrests and possible gang-related activity.
"This is good; this is positive," said event participant Rollins Davis, the group's past president and the executive director of the Northern Kentucky Community Center in Covington.
"It's a small step, but it's a step in the right direction."
